Derweil in Tschechien... 31/25
15.08.2025
Prosecution in Connection with a Serious Fire in Most
More than half a year after the tragic fire at the “U Kojota” restaurant in Most, the police have completed their investigation. Charges have been filed against two people. “The manager and the person authorized by her to run the restaurant have been charged with negligently endangering the public,” said police spokesman Kamil Marek. According to the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes, the accused are the married couple Miloslav and Jana Čech. If convicted, both face up to 10 years in prison.
Investigators also relied on several expert reports from the fields of fire safety and healthcare. According to these reports, the cause of the devastating fire on January 11 shortly before midnight was the accidental tipping over of a gas mushroom heater on the restaurant’s terrace by one of the guests. This damaged the seal between the valve of the pressure vessel and the heating regulator, allowing a propane-butane gas mixture to escape, which ignited on the mushroom heater. In just a few seconds, the fire spread not only to the terrace but also to nearly the entire restaurant. Unfortunately, the fire blocked the way to the door. A second door was locked. As a result, those present had only a few seconds to escape. Six people died at the scene, and a seventh died later in the hospital from serious injuries. Seven other people were injured, two of them seriously.
Investigators compiled a very long list of defects as causes of the fire. “The investigation revealed serious violations of the obligations under the Fire Protection Act,” continued police spokesman Marek. In addition, the terrace had been roofed over without a valid building permit and later covered with PVC sheeting. Fire safety regulations should have been updated accordingly, but this was not done. There were no regular preventive fire safety inspections, nor was the fire safety equipment inspected. The most recent inspection took place in April 2008. The installation of a patio heater on the terrace—which had not been structurally approved—was particularly serious, as was the storage of several pressurized gas cylinders in the restaurant’s rooms, which also contradicted the operating instructions provided by the seller of the patio heater.
Wet weather delays harvest
The wet weather in July delayed the harvest in the fields of northern Bohemia by a good month. At the start of the current warm spell, only half of the grain harvest had been completed in the entire Ústí district, and in some cases, winter wheat and winter barley could only now be harvested from the fields. The beet harvest is already more than 80 percent complete, with above-average yields already emerging. However, farmers are expecting quality losses due to the weeks of wet weather in the middle of the harvest period.
In contrast, the hop harvest will not begin until this weekend. The Czech Republic is one of the world’s largest hop producers. The largest hop-growing region in the Czech Republic is around Žatec. The harvest there is expected to be average at best. One risk is the current hot weather, which could end the ripening process prematurely without achieving the desired bitterness level. As in Germany, it is mainly seasonal workers from Romania and Bulgaria who help with the harvest.
Hop acreage in the Czech Republic has fallen slightly in recent years to 4,815 hectares. However, the decline is not as steep as in the U.S. Hop growers are also negotiating for government support to expand hop acreage.
Northern Bohemia is also an important region for fruit growing.
China Annoyed by Czech President
China has severed all ties with Czech President Petr Pavel. This is the country’s reaction to Pavel’s private visit to the Dalai Lama in India. At the end of July, following a working visit to Japan, Pavel traveled back to India on a private mission to congratulate the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. In China’s view, the Czech president thereby undermined China’s sovereignty over its territory.
The Presidential Chancellery commented on China’s move, stating that there is currently no direct communication between the presidents of the two countries and that China’s decision therefore does not change the current situation.
President Pavel received support from the parties in the ruling coalition. The largest opposition party, ANO, declined to comment on the situation.
The Czech Republic has long maintained a critical stance toward China. The President of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil of the ruling ODS party, paid an official state visit to Taiwan. The Speaker of Parliament, Markéta Pekarová Adamová of the governing TOP 09 party, has also visited Taiwan. In the Czech Republic, it is also common practice to fly the Tibetan flag on town halls and other public buildings, such as schools, on March 10, the anniversary of the popular uprising in Tibet.
Czech Republic Buys 44 Leopard Tanks
The Czech Ministry of Defense has decided to purchase 44 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks. The cost totals just under 1.4 billion euros. The purchase is part of a large order from the Franco-German manufacturer KNDS, which is organized by Germany and has been joined by several countries. Subject to approval by the Czech government, the official order is expected to be placed in the coming weeks. This would mean that Defense Minister Jana Černochová would have achieved her self-imposed goal of finalizing the tank order during her term in office. A new parliament will be elected in the Czech Republic in early October.
The first Leopard 2A8 tank is scheduled for delivery in 2028, with all deliveries to be completed by 2031.
Parents spend an average of 100 euros on school supplies
Spending on school supplies in the Czech Republic amounts to the equivalent of about 100 euros per child. This is the result of a survey conducted by the research agency NMS Research. The costs are higher for first-graders, averaging 120 euros. A quarter of those surveyed reported costs exceeding 120 euros. The biggest expense for first-graders is, of course, the school bag. According to NMS Research, spending remained unchanged compared to the previous year.
However, according to the survey, the biggest challenge is not school supplies, but costs for class funds, all-day activities, field trips, ski camps, and after-school care. There are significant differences in after-school care fees, which can range from 200 to 600 crowns (8–24 euros) per month.
In contrast to Saxony, however, parents do not have one major expense: the cost of celebrating the start of school—that is, sugar cones, parties, and everything else that is organized. This tradition does not exist in the Czech Republic.
Incidentally, there is still some time before school starts in the Czech Republic. The new school year doesn’t begin until September 1.
Teplice Museum Exhibits Bihl Porcelain
Last year, Dutchman Jan Jager donated 50 banana boxes of ceramics from the Gustav Biehl company in Ladowitz (now Ledvice) to the regional museum in Teplice. Jager had collected the tableware for 35 years before donating it to the museum. Parts of the collection are now on display in a special exhibition at the museum.
In a sense, the porcelain has returned to its place of origin. Only a small part of the former Ledvice still exists. A massive coal-fired power plant now stands in its place, and parts of the town have also been demolished due to open-pit lignite mining. The “Porcellan- und Steingutfabrik G. Bihl & Com.” has also long since ceased to exist. With the expulsion of the German population in 1945, production was halted and never resumed.
Gustav Biel was actually from Künzelsau in eastern Franconia. He later worked in coal mining, primarily in the Petschek family’s mines. In 1896, he took over the Hanke family’s pottery factory. The factory experienced its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. The majority of the collection also dates from this period. A characteristic feature of Biehl tableware is the spray decoration from 1927 to 1935. After Germany’s occupation of the Sudetenland, many export markets collapsed. The factory therefore focused primarily on the production of technical porcelain, such as insulators.
The exhibition at the regional museum runs through October 12.
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